Architectural Styles
Three Kingdoms
Alt names / subperiods
Timeline
Distinguishing Features
Geographic Presence
220–280
- Transitional Character that bridges the Han imperial system and early Six Dynasties forms.
- Han system persisted – timber post-and-beam framework, hip-gable roofs, and axial courtyards
- Modest Scale
- Regionalization
- local materials and techniques (brick in the north; wood and stone in the south).
- Early Buddhist & Daoist Influence
- First appearance of Buddhist architecture in China, especially in Eastern Wu and Wei territories, often as wooden temples, stupas, or pagodas
- Capitals such as Luoyang (Wei) and Chengdu (Shu) retained the Han rectangular grid, cardinal orientation, and palace-city division, but on smaller scales.
- smaller brick-vaulted or stone-built graves, often with arched ceilings and murals.
- The earliest timber pagodas (塔) derived from Indian stupas appear, still in simple multi-eave tower form.
- Architectural decoration began reflecting Daoist immortality themes, cloud motifs, and early Buddhist symbols
- Military Architecture & Fortifications; city walls, watchtowers, gates, and defensive forts.
- Continued perfection of fired brick, tile drainage, arched vaulting
- early use of lime mortar
- China
Common Building Types
Landmark buildings
Historic Accommodation Types
Custom Accommodation Examples
- Palaces (宮 gong)
- Administrative Offices (府 fu, 署 shu)
- City Walls, Gates, and Forts (城 cheng, 門 men, 營 ying)
- Residential Houses (宅 zhai, 屋 wu)
- Watchtowers & Pavilions (樓 lou, 閣 ge)
- Temples and Shrines (廟 miao, 祠 ci)
- Buddhist Pagodas / Stupas (塔 ta)
- Tombs and Mausolea (墓 mu, 陵 ling)
- Market Halls and Warehouses (市 shi, 倉 cang)
- Inns and Relay Stations (驛 yi, 館 guan)
- Bridges and Canals (橋 qiao, 渠 qu)
- Fortified Monasteries / Religious Compounds
- Luoyang Imperial Palace (洛陽宮殿遺址) Luoyang, Henan
- Jianye Palace (建業宮殿遺址) Nanjing (Jiangsu)
- Chengdu Palace of Shu Han (成都宮城) Chengdu, Sichuan
- Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠, original Shu ancestral temple) Chengdu, Sichuan
- Stone City (石頭城) Nanjing (Jiangsu)
- White Horse Temple (白馬寺, rebuilt under Wei) Luoyang, Henan
- Early Pagoda of Luoyang (洛陽塔) Luoyang, Henan
- Tomb of Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮墓) Mian County, Shaanxi
- Tombs of the Sun Family (孫氏陵墓群) Nanjing area, Jiangsu
- Wu Commandery Administrative Compound Suzhou region, Jiangsu
- Chengdu Brick-Relief Tombs (三國磚畫墓) Chengdu, Sichuan
- Jianye City Walls & Moats (建業城牆) Nanjing
- Imperial Relay Stations 驛站 (yìzhàn) / 驛舍 (yìshè)
- Government Guest Houses 官館 (guānguǎn) / 賓館 (bīnguǎn)
- Provincial Post Inns 驛館 (yìguǎn) / 亭舍 (tíngshè)
- Military Garrisons & Travelling Quarters 軍舍 (jūnshè) / 行營 (xíngyíng)
- Market Inns & Merchant Lodgings 客舍 (kèshè) / 商館 (shāngguǎn)
- Religious or Monastic Lodgings 寺舍 (sìshè)
- Private Inns & Taverns 旅店 (lǚdiàn) / 酒肆 (jiǔsì)
- Temporary Field Camps 行舍 (xíngshè) / 館舍;
- Custom-built inns for officials, soldiers, and envoys- Timber hall buildings on rammed-earth foundations, arranged around courtyards which included stables for horses, granaries and kitchens, sleeping quarters / guest halls
- Administrative halls, ancestral temples, and palace annexes. Used as hostels for envoys, allied nobles, and merchants when travelling between the kingdoms.
- Shu Han court in Chengdu is recorded as lodging visiting envoys in palace side halls, essentially adapted into guesthouses.
Gallery
Adapted Visitor Accommodation
in Adam Style Building
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